The system kicked in on Wednesday when an earthquake struck off Japan's eastern coast. But the warning was later lifted after officials said the waves were less than 30 centimetres high and posed little danger. Japan's meteorological agency said the 6.8-magnitude quake was centred 200 kilometres south of Chiba prefecture. There were no reports of injuries or damage. At the United Nations, Secretary General Kofi Annan called on rich countries to help rebuild devoured villages. "We know from experience that the poor always suffer the most enduring damage from such natural disasters as their assets are often completely wiped out," Annan said. "So we need to focus on longer-term recovery and reconstruction, and ensure that from now on, there are no gaps in the future funding effort."

The international community has pledged billions of dollars in various forms of relief, and the United Nations wants $977 million US from member nations to cover the emergency humanitarian needs of an estimated five million people. So far, $739 million US has been offered, and Annan asked donors to convert their promises into cash as quickly as possible. In Indonesia's Aceh province, which suffered two-thirds of the tsunami deaths, U.S. helicopters were flying 80 missions a day, said Capt. Matt Klunder, Naval Air Wing 2 deputy commander. With the stepped-up flights, villagers were no longer mobbing the helicopters out of desperation as soon as they touched down, he said. "Now there's a little more confidence because they know that on a somewhat regular basis we can get them foodstuffs and water," he said. In the past week, the missions have begun reaching survivors who had sheltered in the mountains after the tsunami and only recently felt safe enough to return to the coast, Klunder said. Among that group, the needs are still great and conditions sometimes desperate, he added. Across the sea in Sri Lanka, where the death toll was expected to exceed 40,000 people, aid efforts were proceeding smoothly and equitably to areas under government and rebel control, Kennedy said. Tamil rebels in the island nation have been fighting for a separate homeland for nearly three decades.-Bert Hernan.

India tests sophisticated surface-to-air short-range missile

NEW DELHI, INDIA- India tested its most sophisticated short-range missile on Wednesday, a news agency reported. The surface-to-air missile was test-fired from a range in India's main testing centre in Chandipur-on-Sea in the eastern state of Orissa, Press Trust of India said. With a range of 9.6 kilometres, the solid fuel-propelled missile known as "Trishul" is capable of targeting aircraft and sea-skimming missiles. It can carry a warhead of up to 15 kilograms. Trishul means trident, the weapon favoured by Shiva, the Hindu god of destruction. Wednesday's test firing came as India accused nuclear-armed rival Pakistan of violating a 14-month ceasefire in disputed Kashmir, over which the two have fought two of their three wars since gaining independence from Britain in 1947. Pakistan denied the charge. India and Pakistan routinely test-fire missiles for military use. When they test long-range missiles, India and Pakistan give advance notice to each other. India's missile arsenal includes the short-range ballistic missile Prithvi, the medium-range Agni and Akash missiles, the anti-tank Nag missile and the supersonic Brahmos missile.